Poodles and Kittens...

I have a poodle,

her name is Catie.

She is seven years old,

smart,

and spoiled.

She has her routine each day and I'm convinced can read my mind.

I know she is really just reading body language.

However, she seems to know when I need a hug.

And

I can tell when she needs a hug.

 She watches every move I make...

and follows me from room to room.

And, when I get home from work, she greets me with such enthusiasm...
that no matter what kind of day I've had
she's there to welcome me with open arms paws!

{I just hope to be the kind of person she thinks I am.}

Catie has an extensive "B" vocabulary.
She knows:
bed
ball
bite
bone
Buddy
bird
bye-bye
and most importantly...
bad {when she gets in the garbage.}
However, I just can't stay mad at her. She just looks at me with those big eyes and I just melt.

She also knows:
duck
walk
shake
sit
laydown
Grammi {her favorite place to visit}
and
outside

These are her toys:

It's her bone, bird, Buddy, and duck.

I had a hard time keeping her away from them long enough to snap a picture. She does loves a good game of catch!

Then...
there are the felines.

When I was little, we always had cats. I love that they are so independent.

I love listening to their purring.

But my family is very allergic to their dander.

So when I saw this video online, I just LOVED it!

I replayed it over and over

and

each time,
 I just laughed

and

laughed!

Poodles and kittens...

gotta love them!

Thanks so much for visiting, enjoy your day!

Mother Nature...

I was listening to the weather this morning and the amount of snow some of you are getting is unbelievable! Living in the Houston {Texas} area, if we even have flurries, school is cancelled, basically everything shuts down...we just don't know how to handle the ice and the snow, it's such a rarity.{I think emloyers just want an excuse to play in it themselves!}

Today my husband and I went on a little road trip to Galveston. It was heavily damaged during Hurricane Ike about a year and a half ago. I wanted to see how things were coming along and I was pleasantly surprised. Shops are reopening, business is basically back to normal, and there were tourist roaming around {which is GREAT news for their economy!}

{I just love all the palm trees.}

From Galveston, you can take a 15 minute ferry ride across the Houston Ship Channel to a little pennisula called Bolivar.

It's on this strip of land, my family had a beach house. It was the perfect getway and held many memories. What made it truly special is that my father and mother built it from the ground up. It had two bedrooms with their own baths, an open den with kitchen, fireplace, and even an observation deck on top. Downstairs was another full bathroom and a storage area. It was built in 1979 and recently completely redecorated.

Then Hurricane Ike hit the little pennisula and Galveston with vengeance. Most of the property on the pennisula was destroyed, actually wiped clean, and Galveston was inundated with water along with a lot of structural damage. All this to say that our beach house was taken by the storm.

When we visited today, I was amazed at the powers of the wind and water. Just look at these pilings! The house was snatched off of them like they were match sticks.

It's hard to imagine such power.

There were insurance concerns...was it wind or water? {That's another story!}

Then these bolts...one completely bent.

At this point, the area is mostly cleaned of debris, vegitation is returning.

The resilience is just inspiring....

and the beaches are back to their former glory.

Mother nature...amazing.

 

Thanks for visiting...enjoy your day!

New Year Traditions...

Happy New Year 2010!
Sounds a little strange, doesn't it?
2010...new decade, new adventures...

I wanted to begin my new year with continued traditions...and food seems to be at the top of my list. {I guess that's why I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers!}

Ham, cornbread, blackeyed peas, and cabbage. It's comfort food, isn't it? My husband and I really enjoy it, but my kids, not so much.

I'm not famous for my cooking, so this isn't going to be added to any foodie parties...but the cabbage is very tasty. It's my mother's recipe.

It's super easy...just cabbage, red apples, mayo, milk, sugar, marshmellows, and pecans.

Chop up cabbage and apples. Add marshmellows.

{I used about 1 cup of cabbage, 1/2 cup small marshmellows, and 1 small red apple.}

Make a dressing with a couple tablespoons of mayo {I use fat free}, a little fat free milk, and a teaspoon of sugar. Mix this very well and pour over the cabbage, marshmellow, and apple mixture.

For extra crunch add a few chopped pecans.

YUM!

This was truly comfort food for this cold, wintery day.

Thanks for visiting...and enjoy your day!

Tablescape Thursday

I'm reposting from last year...it's one of my favorite tables!
Enjoy!

I'm joining Susan at her Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to stop by for inspiration and welcoming tables.

The table I've prepared this week is composed of very special pieces. The centerpiece was purchased several years ago and is the main inspiration.

My china is Autumn by Lenox, my stemare is also Lenox.

The tablecloth and napkins were purchased many years ago from Dillards. The napkin rings were a recent purchase from TJ Maxx. The flatware is from eBay.

The most recent addition to this table are the placemats. I'm so very proud of them...they are from my sister for Christmas. She ordered them from Z Gallerie. They are PERFECT!

They are actual peacock feathers and so colorful!

The candle holder is from my husband's mother.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Enjoy your day!

Country Village on a Tabletop!

Before I put away  my Christmas things, I wanted to share a second table...a country village on a tabletop!

I hope you had a chance to see Susan's village table at the begining of December. It was exquisite! If you didn't, you can see it here. Please visit her site this week, Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday. It's so much fun to see all the participants' creativity!

I have collected 6 houses, all from different places, some hand-me-downs. I've had them quite a while and use them in various ways during the holidays. This past July, I was new to blogging and discoved Susan's site. I wanted to join in the fun and thought that putting together a table with my little houses would be fun! So while browsing eBay for napkin rings and I came across a set of house napkin rings. They were so cute! I thought they'd be the perfect accent for a table.

When I saw Susan's table, I was blown away. She had the most beautiful houses and extra pieces...it was a magical little town.

I thought I'd make a country village.

Here's a close up of the napkin rings...

They were so much fun to use!

Thanks again to Susan for all her inspiration...

and thanks to you for visiting!

Enjoy your day!

Flatware - Oneida - Michelangelo

Place Setting - Bed Bath and Beyond - Westerly Basket

Stemware - Dollar Tree

Placemats - Wal Mart

Candleholders - Tuesday Morning

Chicken Tortilla Soup

With these cold days, I'm always ready for something warm to eat and soup is a great way to do exactly that!

This recipe is from Pampered Chef and it is tried and true! No worries with this quick and easy dish.

Here's what you'll need:

4 6-inch tortillas (corn or wheat)

1/2 cup chopped onions

3 boneless, skinless chick breast halves (12 ounces)

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained

4 teaspoons snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 cups (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

4 thick slices of lime (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. Place on flat baking sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes or until crisp.

2. Chop onion. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pices. Heat 4 qt. casserole over medium-heat. Spray with vegetable oil. Add chicken, cook, and stir 3 minutes. Add onion, garlic pressed with garlic press, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Snip cilantro using kitchen shears. Divid tortilla strips among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over tortillas. Add cheese and cilantro. Garnish with lime to squeeze.

Makes 4 servings.

Stay warm and enjoy!

I'm linking to Foodie Friday...be sure to stop by for wonderful tasty delights!